Seven Saints of Talis

Fallout: Dark Heresy

The Monolith

The Monolith is the term used to refer to a massive starship that crashed nose-first into the deserts in the north of the Reach. It is surrounded by a lake of leaked coolants, water, and other fluids that, even almost a thousand years later, has not evaporated.

The hull of the ship rises nearly two miles into the sky, and is visible from Eagle’s Rest. Some daring pilgrims occasionally make the trip to the wreck, although the land around it is claimed by the Blackfang Orks. Most pilgrims making the journey do not return alive.

The original name of the ship is lost to time, and it is impossible to tell whether it served the Imperium or the Arch-Enemy. It may even have broken off an Ork Rok or Space Hulk, spat out of the Immaterium at some point in the distant past.

What scant records exist regarding pilgrimages that have returned successfully report that the area surrounding the Monolith seems unnaturally still and silent, despite the reports that some Ork Klans of the Blackfangs seem to build shrines in honor of the Monolith. It is also reported that the lake around the Monolith is both incredibly toxic and highly radioactive, and the sands around it are littered with the bleached bones of all manner of desert-dwelling creatures.

This is an Oberon-class Battleship.

7.5km in length and 1.7 km across, it is one of the largest vessels the Imperial Navy has ever put into service.

The Oberon was designed to be able to deal with any threat, and therefore does not need to be escorted by a squadron of frigates. It lacks the swarming effect of the Emperor Class Battleship’s attack craft, or the sheer amount of firepower that the Retribution or Apocalypse Class Battleships can deliver. The Oberon can, however, deliver a combined attack of ordnance, lances and weapons batteries, that the others cannot.

The Oberon is now rarely used in major fleet engagements, the more specialised ships being preferred by many Imperial Admirals. It is used instead for patrolling dangerous areas, where its ability to multi-task comes into its own. It can be a base for patrolling squadrons of attack craft, then taking the fight directly to the encountered enemy. Due to this, it can patrol large areas with only a small, or no escort, freeing those ships for other duties.

The armament of the Oberon is greatly varied, having lances, weapons batteries and serried banks of macrocannons. The ship’s array of weapons batteries is enough to be able to cause damage at long range, and with the aid of the lances, could probably cripple a cruiser-sized ship in short order. The attack craft meanwhile could either close in for the kill, protect the Oberon itself, or engage other targets.